This weekend represents more than just the exciting start of the Pro Circuit’s second season. It also marks the inaugural tournament of the Vs. System Scholarship Series. These tournaments give younger Vs. players a chance to challenge their peers, have fun, and help secure their future. Players can compete in either the 15 and under bracket or the 16 to 18 bracket. The Top 4 of each bracket will receive Avengers product, exclusive extended art Bastion cards, and exclusive Savage Beatdown boxes created just for the Scholarship Series. The winner will also receive $1,000 in scholarship money and a cool leather case filled with the Savage Beatdown boxes.
I got a chance to watch the finals of the 16 to 18 tournament. Abacu Miranda and his Common Enemy deck faced off against Whitney Sitzler, who was playing The New Brotherhood. Normally, this matchup favors Common Enemy in the late game. But on turn 7, Whitney used her second and third copies of The New Brotherhood combined with two copies of Savage Land, two The Mutant Menaces, and a Surprise Attack (with a Savage Beatdown thrown in for good measure) to knock Abacu well into the negatives and make herself the first 16 to 18 bracket Scholarship Champion. As the first champion of the next generation of Vs. pros, Whitney’s strong performance has made it clear that gaming talent is not restricted by gender.
Whitney Sitzler, 18, is from Huntsville, Alabama, and this tournament couldn’t have come at a better time for her. She starts college next Wednesday at UAH.
“I’m paying for college by myself with loans. This is going to be a huge help for me.”
Whitney has been playing Vs. System for about a year, including a trip to Pro Circuit New York last season. She was first introduced to the game by her boyfriend, Adam Fears, who is playing in the main event this weekend.
“When he introduced me to Vs., he was convinced that I was going to hate it, but I insisted on learning,” she grinned. “Well, now we’ve seen what happened!”
Whitney opted to play The New Brotherhood in this tournament because, as she put it, “I hate Sentinels and I know how to play New Brotherhood very well.” Whitney was excited and surprised by her victory. “I did not think I was going to beat Abacu [her final round opponent]. He is really good and went undefeated in the Swiss.”
Whitney’s other hobbies include playing World of Warcraft. This of course prompted a very long discussion with her on the many ins and outs of our respective character classes. (There are a lot of World of Warcraft junkies who also love Vs.) She was excited about the new World of Warcraft trading card game that Upper Deck announced this weekend, and I have no doubt that she will be putting in a strong showing at that game as well.
Repeatedly during our interview, Whitney was offered hundreds of dollars for her new leather case filled with Savage Beatdown boxes, but she wisely refused. “This has really been a great experience, and these boxes are really cool. I’m going to hold on to them.”
The first winner of the Vs. Scholarship Circuit’s 15 and under bracket is Ryan Hunt, age 15. Ryan learned to play Vs. just two months ago at Crossroad Games in Scarborough, Maine, which has a strong Vs. community. Ryan has some TCG experience, but this is his first major tournament and first big win. Ryan was obviously thrilled, commenting, “Oh my God, I can’t believe it!”
Like many of us who started playing cards at a young age, Ryan got some resistance from his parents.
“My mom thinks that it’s good for me to play Vs. because it is good to exercise my brain. It helps make me smarter. My dad, on the other hand, has grumbled a lot about how much time I spend playing cards.”
I asked Ryan if he had told his parents about his win and what they thought now. “When I called and told my dad that I had just won $1,000 for college, he completely freaked out. I don’t think he will grumble so much anymore about me playing cards.”
Ryan piloted his Curve Sentinels deck to victory, despite making a few mistakes in his final match. There is a lot of pressure on someone that age who’s playing for $1,000, but despite those few misplays, Ryan was able to pull it together and win the tournament.
Ryan and Whitney are the first of soon-to-be many Scholarship Series champions. Stay tuned to Metagame for coverage of tomorrow’s events here at Gen Con, or check out http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/op/scholarship/ for more information about the Scholarship Series.
Whitney Sitzler: New Brotherhood
2 Destiny
2 Phantazia
2 Sauron
4 Sabretooth, Feral Rage
3 Rogue, Anna Raven
2 Lorelei
2 Scarlet Witch, Eldritch Enchantress
1 Avalanche
2 Thornn
4 Magneto
3 Pyro
2 Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff
1 Mastermind
4 The New Brotherhood
4 Surprise Attack
4 Flying Kick
4 Savage Beatdown
4 Savage Land
Ryan Hunt: Curve Sentinels
6 Hounds of Ahab
7 Sentinel Mark II
7 Sentinel Mark V
4 Nimrod
4 Bastion
4 Magneto, Master of Magnetism
Plot Twists
4 Reconstruction Program
4 Genosha
4 Micro-Sentinels
4 Nasty Surprise
4 Acrobatic Dodge
4 Savage Beatdown